Wong Defends Multiculturalism, Declines to Condemn Trump Directive on Migrant Crime

Senator Fatima Payman pressed the foreign minister on her response to the Trump administration’s directive to examine links between mass migration and crime.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong answers questions in the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee in Canberra, Australia on Oct. 7, 2025. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has reaffirmed her government’s support for multiculturalism, but stopped short of condemning the Trump administration’s diplomatic directive to study links between mass migration and crime.

The U.S. State Department issued the directive to its embassies in allied nations, while also asking for information on “policies that punish citizens who object to continued mass migration.”